Vokey RAW finished wedges. Anyone know why there is a $15 up charge for no finish on a wedge?!

[WSUWarriorPGAPro]

Hey all.

This is probably a stupid question, but does anyone know why Vokey charges an upcharge of $15 for RAW wedges, compared to their other finishes? The logic in me says that the finished wedges would cost Vokey more to make than the Raw version of the wedges. However, the marketing person in me says that they can charge more because it is more of a "Tour Issue" type of thing. That being said, Clevand Golf has their wedges at the same price, regardless of what finish they are.

Just curious. Someone must have an idea.

[Rory4Pres]

They do it because they think it'll make them more money. Additionally, they don't have to worry about their raw wedges getting rusty in stores/pro shops before they are sold.

You can buy the black vokey and remove the finish easily to get a raw finish. I soaked mine overnight and it came out great.

[ProjectX]

Pretty simple math here, they have a product that is more desireable and exclusive. They are going to charge more even though it costs less to make. Every company would in the same situation. The answer for why Cleveland has no up charge is simply because they don't have the same demand Vokey does to justify it. They tried years ago with their mycustomwedge.com program and it failed.

[Krt22]

Volume.

[Joelsim]

It’s a downpayment on all the future rust that you’d otherwise get for free.

[sbjinx]

i remember few years back it was more like $50 so $15 is a good deal? Costs money to look like a playa lol

[Z1ggy16]

Perceived value. They assume customers will be willing to pay more for a "tour inspired" finish, despite them probably having a lower cost of goods (for a raw finish).

[SUITS]

Pros like it , leads to more consumers looking for it. Easy buck for the them.

[SAM_PGA]

@WSUWarriorPGAPro 99.9% of every vokey wedge sold is that of a "finished" plating, and that goes back for many models. I think the last somewhat "raw" finish Vokey distributed in golf shops was the SM4 Oil Can maybe? The 99.9% does not want a raw wedge so for Titliest to stock raw for sale is actually a liability for excessive inventory, so add in "supply and demand"... lower inventory with high demand from Golf WRX'rs equals +$15. Pretty good deal if you ask me considered it was MUCH MUCH higher.

[WSUWarriorPGAPro]

I know that the majority of wedges sold from them are finished in some way. I know that most consumers do not want a "Rusty" wedge, because it doesn't look pretty. I remember this when they did release a raw wedge back in the early 2000's, before the Spin Milled versions. I LOVED that wedge. I even ground the soles of a few of them (slightly) so that the turf interaction was better. (It actually was similar to the "S" grind they released later, which I thought was interesting.) Anyway, I am not talking STOCKING wedges in pro shops and stores. I was just wondering why there was a price difference when ordering. I know $15 isn't a lot for the up charge. I was appalled when it was $50, or so! I was just curious. I was always believing it was an up-charge for a niche market.

[WSUWarriorPGAPro]

What did you soak them in to get rid of the BLACK finish? What chemicals do I need to strip the finish of these wedges?

[Pepperturbo]

A raw finish is still a prepared finish. They don't just pop out that way after production.

[Hawkeye77]

That’s what he just said, niche market and economies of scale. Inventory is inventory.

[Joelsim]

If they don’t make as many and don’t sell as many then the cost per item to produce it is higher. Economies of scale are lower.

[Rory4Pres]

Easy, vinegar! That's it. Just completely cover the finish and let it soak over night.

[Rory4Pres]

 

[Krt22]

I use "The works" toilet bowl cleaner. Need to use some steel wool after to get the surface finish looking right.

[mjbfyb]

Here’s a black SM6 stripped with vinegar and a Scotch-Brite pad next to a raw SM7. Both have been in the bag the same amount of time.

[DaveGoodrich]

Any sort of acid (except the hallucinogenic kind) will remove the jet black finish from the SM6 and SM7 wedges. So that includes coke, vinegar, lemon juice, CLR, Naval Jelly, etc. The stronger the acid, the quicker it comes off, and the less physical work (i.e. steel wool, scotchbrite, etc.) needed. Muriatic (pool) acid works in about 5 minutes, but obviously needs to be handled with great care (eye and skin protection, good ventilation, etc.).

I like the raw finish you get when doing this, but I am not interested in rusting (I want them to look like that old hammer you got from your dad and you still use all the time, not like a hammer that has been left out in the rain).

[1puttTUT]

Chrysler charges roughly $2000 more for the 5.7L hemi V8 engine than the 3.6L Phoenix V6 engine even though the 3.6L costs almost $1000 more to make...simply because they can.

[Doyouevenblade]

It is not just the finish, you get 8 or 10 letters of stamping free from Wedgeworks. And paintfill colors.

There are also some free choices of shafts, shaft bands, grips. Though I'm not certain if those are available for free and just a custom order option on different finishes not from Wedgeworks.

 

Edit: you don't have to choose those options, but I'm sure the cost of labor is built into those 15 dollars.

 

 

[teedub21]

Like Ricky from Trailerpark Boys says, “Supply and command”.

[randrews581]

For starters, they make considerably less of them - economies of scale. Second, raw wedges rust, but we don’t want to buy rusted wedges. We want clean wedges that rust in our bag. So they have to oil and bag each wedge individually, plus store them in a climate controlled room to ensure they arrive at your door rust free. Titleist builds clubs in Carlsbad, like 5 miles from the ocean, if raw heads were left unprotected and exposed to the elements they’d look awful.

[Hawkeye77]

So is do it yourself raw different than how it comes raw from the factory? Maybe a dumb question - just curious.

[Aviador Naval]

Short answer = yes. The chemical/metal savvy guys can explain but basically the process used to apply the black finish produces a very slight film that is not removed via simple acid and steel wool. It yields a slightly different look and feel. You can get the DitY version there on the back and sole with sufficient sanding and polishing but doing it to the face would be counter productive to actual performance.

 

I have some true raw SM7 (46 and 50) I picked up used in Excellent condition. The difference in feel is very minor but it is real.

 

Despite above, I actually prefer the DitY method including a little extra work with fine grit wet/dry sandpaper. Removing the black produces a nice flat look but they don’t rust quickly and look better than the plated finishes after use. Best of all aspects except the very minor feel advantage that goes to true raw.

 

I think the only reason to pony up for true raw is if you want to go the extra mile for hand ground such as an F or K grind with some heel relief, etc.

[Pepperturbo]

May or may not be true. Reason production management uses Industrial Engineers and Methods and Procedures.

Depends on discrete (unit based) is or process (stage based) method and scale of unit production too. For instance, adding a step to the discrete manufacturing of an aircraft or yacht could have serious cost ramifications over production life cycle. However, adding a step to a smaller scale items like a Laptop or club-head where line-labor is already there may or may not increase production costs but allow for another area of profit margin.

Side note, raw finished wedges are about as close to the feel and sound of forged wedge as Cast manufacturing can get. Possibly why so many sponsored PGA players use Vokey raw wedges as opposed to chrome, plus caddies care for clubs so rust isn't as much of an issue.

[mackepa]

they charge more because they know you'll pay more.

[Nessism]

That (high profit margin) V8 sucks down Chrysler's CAFE score, which they have to offset up by selling cheap low profit margin vehicles that get high MPG.

Regarding these Vokey's, I strongly suspect the price is based on marketing decisions. Unit manufacturing cost is lower so it doesn't make sense that selling price is higher other than as you say, "because they can."